1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of automating business forms and mailers and more specifically to automating business forms and mailers by mapping print stream data from a first application and for printing onto a business form or mailer.
2. Description of Related Art
As technology progresses, the business office is becoming more and more automated. Faxes, file servers, email, teleconferencing and cell phones have revolutionized the way firms do business. Mailers, in particular, have enjoyed increasing popularity. A mailer is a consumable paper product that allows for quick and easy printing and mailing of information. A mailer can include an envelope, an insert and a return envelope, which may be created by folding the original document. For example, mailers are used to send account statements, invoices, checks, and tax forms to customers and employees of a business. The commonly owned U.S. Patents and U.S. Patent Application described above provide more information on mailers. A mailer allows a firm or small business to print directly onto one product all of the information necessary for mailing to a customer, client or employee. This is advantageous as it eliminates the separate printing of an envelope, an insert and a return envelope, as well as the need for the insertion of the return envelope and the insert into the envelope. Mailers, however, do not come without their drawbacks.
One problem with the use of a mailer is producing the mailer. Mailers often require folding and sealing before sending out. Current folding/sealing machines are bulky and costly. Thus, businesses are forced to buy additional hardware, apart from software and printers, in order to produce a mailer. This is cost prohibitive for medium and small businesses. Therefore, a need exists to provide a cost effective method of producing mailers for medium and small businesses.
One problem with the production of business forms, such as mailers, is the compatibility of business forms with the applications providing the information. Currently, various applications providing information, such as QuickBooks, support only certain business forms that are provided by the same entity that provides the application. This is disadvantageous as it limits the range of business forms available to the users that are utilizing the application of the providing entity. It would be advantageous to allow additional firms to provide business forms on which to print the information that is provided by these entities. Therefore, a need exists for a method for printing information from various applications onto various business forms provided by separate entities.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that current business form printing software often does not allow for the extraction of information from multiple source documents or the placement of extracted information into multiple business forms. Typically, information is garnered from a source document and printed onto a business form or mailer. However, users of business form printing software sometimes desire to garner information from more than one source document. In addition, users sometimes desire to print garnered information into alternate business form(s). Therefore, a need exists for a system that supports the garnering of information from multiple source documents and the placement of garnered information into multiple business forms.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that current business form printing software does not allow for the printing of customized information onto the business form. Users of business form printing software often desire to print customized information, such as logos or signatures, onto business forms. It would be advantageous to allow the printing of such information as it would increase the customizability of the business form printing software and further automate the printing of information onto business form. Therefore, a need exists for a system that allows for the printing of customized information onto a business forms.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that current business form printing software requires duplex or multiple pass printers. This is disadvantageous and the current installed base of printers substantially comprises simplex or single pass printers. It would be advantageous for business form printing software to support the current installed base of single printers as it is cost effective for those users to continue using their current printers, as opposed to purchasing new printers. Therefore, a need exists for a business form printing system that supports simplex or single pass printers.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that current business form printing software often does not allow for importing or exporting from or to other software packages or operating systems. Users of business form printing software sometimes desire to garner information from more than one document over more than one application or over more than one operating system. In addition, users of business form printing software sometimes desire to print information onto more than one business form over more than one application or over more than one operating system. Therefore, a need exists for a system that imports multiple source documents over multiple applications and operating systems and that exports information into multiple business forms over multiple applications and operating systems.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that current business form printing software that uses OCR does not distinguish between text requiring a fixed pitch font and font using a variable pitch font. Certain types of data, such as numbers written in columns spanning multiple rows or currency values written over several rows, require the use of fixed pitch font in order to properly align values on the printed page. However, when information is input into a computer system using OCR, the printing software often does not distinguish between the different types of data and a variable pitch font is used for all printed information. This leads to a misalignment of numerical data written over multiple rows, which makes it difficult to read. Therefore, a need exists for a system that distinguished between information that requires fixed pitch font and information requiring variable pitch font.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that current business form printing software that uses OCR does not handle floating lines adequately. A floating line is a final row in a column or a series of columns that contains additional information, such as a “Total” row. These rows are called floating lines because the location of these rows, or lines, is dependant on the amount of information in the column. That is, the row position of a floating line depends on the length of the column of which it is a member.
However, when information including floating lines is input into a computer system using OCR or another system for inputting information, it is difficult to specify beforehand in the printing software the location of a floating zone due to its variable nature. This leads to difficulty in reading floating line information in source documents that are input into a computer system. Therefore, a need exists for a system that correctly identifies floating line information in source documents.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that current business form printing software that uses OCR does not handle floating zones adequately. A floating zone is a group of text or images that is not located in a constant position in the source document. Zones such as these are called floating zones because the location of these zones is dependant on the location and/or size of other zones. That is, the physical position of a floating zone depends on the physical position and/or size of adjacent zones in the source document. For example, a first zone may be required to be located one inch below a second zone. The size of the second zone is variable such that its length may vary according to the amount of data in the second zone. In this example, therefore, the location of the first zone is dependant on the length of the second zone.
However, when information including floating zones is input into a computer system using OCR or another system for inputting information, it is difficult to specify beforehand in the printing software the location of a floating zone due to its variable nature. This leads to difficulty in reading floating zone information in source documents that are input into a computer system. Therefore, a need exists for a system that correctly identifies floating zones in source documents.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is print alignment. Often, the alignment of information on a printed page can vary with each printer, even if each printer is the same model. It has been determined that many factors affect the alignment of printed data on a printed page. Some of these factors include the specific printer on which the data is printed (regardless of printer model), the printer driver used for the printer, the printer drum used in the printer, the direction of the feed of the printer paper and the rotation of the printer paper fed into the printer. The foregoing aberrations in printed data alignment leads to difficulty in printing documents that require precise alignment of information, such as postal documents. Therefore, a need exists for a system that correctly aligns print data in an output document.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is collation of postal documents having varying postages. Typically, when large amounts of postal documents having varying postage requirements are printed in one print job, the printed documents are placed in the exit tray of the printer all in one heap. There is normally no automatic collation that occurs among the printed documents that have varying postage requirements such as domestic and international or registered and unregistered. This results in an individual having to manually sort out the documents in order to separate them so that the proper postage can be applied. This can be tedious and time consuming. Therefore, a need exists for a system that correctly collates printed postal documents having different postal documents.
Yet another problem with the production of business forms is that business form printing software often does not allow for the application of PC postage. Typically, PC postage is printed onto a predefined location on a business form or mailer. In addition, the PC postage aspect of a business form or mailer is protected by security measures limiting a user's access to the PC postage information. This is disadvantageous as it limits the customizability of the formatting of information on the business form or mailer. Therefore, a need exists for a system that allows for the relocation and rearrangement of PC postage while complying with security measures protecting PC postage.
Another problem with multi-user computer systems, such as a fully staffed business office, is variable security. Multi-user computer systems often include individual user account permissions such that different users can have different permissions to execute certain actions. For example, an administrator can have full permissions to read and write to any file and access any device. A guest user, however, will only have permissions to read and write certain files and to access only certain devices. This can pose an obstacle in certain situations. For example, an executable that is initiated by a dynamically linked library (DLL) or by another executable may inherit permissions of a user account different from the user account pertaining to the initiating entity. If the permissions of the inherited user account hold permissions different than the current user account, the current user can experience a problem when he attempts to read or write certain files where the permissions differ. This is disadvantageous as it confuses the user and consumes his time in rectifying the problem. Therefore, a need exists for a system that allows for the easy inheritance of permissions of the current user by child applications
Yet another problem with multi-user computer systems is enforcement of variable security. Multi-user computer systems that include individual user account permissions must enforce individual permissions on each user. Typically, this is accomplished by matching the user account permissions with the permissions defined on an individual file. When a file is created with incorrect permissions, the intended permissions can no longer be enforced. This is disadvantageous as it inhibits the enforcement of security. Therefore, a need exists to enforce security on individual files without using defined file permissions.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.